Memory architecture provides capabilities for high performance content search. The architecture creates an innovative memory derived using randomly accessible dynamic memory circuits that can be programmed with content search rules which are used by the memory to evaluate presented content for matching with the programmed rules. When the content being searched matches any of the rules programmed in the dynamic Programmable Intelligent Search Memory (PRISM) action(s) associated with the matched rule(s) are taken. Content search rules comprise of regular expressions which are converted to finite state automata and then programmed in dynamic PRISM for evaluating content with the search rules.